james bond
Gold Member
- Oct 17, 2015
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I do get what you say, but I simply don't believe it. Decades ago I took a literature class where two topics were the Bible as literature, and Greek Mythology. The instructor said that circa 1000 years BC scholars did not have the language sophisticated enough to articulate what they were thinking, and written words were not available to the masses. So the more academic ideas were expressed as stories and metaphor and handed down verbally. It wasn't until 400 BC that more enlightened scholars (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle { I got an A+ for an essay on Socrates}) were able to express their ideas more clearly and not metaphorically.
One interesting aspect that was covered is that Greek mythology also has an "Adam" (forgot his name) and "Eve" (Pandora). Eve was enlightened with the apple, and Pandora with the infamous box. There was also a flood with different details. Seems like a cross connection of ideas
The early chapters of the Bible as metaphor is slightly inaccurate according to current science, but just fine otherwise. In the opening of Geneses the word "day" is just a period of time, etc. I'm sure you know how non-evangelicals think.
Last point first, there are the faithful who think Genesis is metaphor, but it isn't. It's just too bad that scholars have come to think of it as such. I think it's the longevity and the sophistication of humans that they have to get over and the global flood wiping these people out. The ancient people from Adam and Eve's generation knew how to use tools and farm, play musical instruments, some metallurgy, build boats, write books, and tend to animals. They weren't any cave people or prehistoric people like the Flintstones. That is from the evolution story side. If there were people who had to live in caves, then they were destitute. After all, these people are supposed to have evolved from monkeys. There were no people labeled Neanderthals, but there were giant people called Nephilim.
Anyway, if you look at Greek Mythology, then do you see more resemblance with evolution's story or the Bible theory? Your instructor saying that circa 1000 years BC scholars did not have the language sophisticated enough to articulate what they were thinking applies to after Tower of Babel where people ended up speaking different languages.
